It Only Took One Dance
by iloveromance
Summary: When Caroline is humiliated by a man she made fun of in high school, Richard offers to be her date for the awards banquet. But something unexpected is in store for both of them. An AU version/continuation of "Caroline and the Nice Jewish Boy"
1. Chapter 1

Caroline could not believe that the man standing before her was the same Willard Stephens that she'd made fun of in high school.

Gone was the overweight, nerdy boy she'd teased and tormented; replaced with a handsome, successful... and thin... man. He was incredibly handsome and she was still amazed that he'd agreed to be her date for the awards banquet. It was like a dream come true.

That was, until Willard told her what he really thought of her:

"Go to hell, Ice Princess!"

As the door slammed behind him, Caroline could only stare in disbelief. Pretending not to be stung by his comment, she could barely bring herself to look at Richard and Annie.

After all, hadn't she tormented Willard all through high school? It was only fair and she deserved it anyway. There was no sense in letting his insult get to her.

But now she was stuck without a date for the banquet.

When she glanced at Annie her friend wore an awkward smile and uncurled herself from the sofa.

"Yeah... look, I'm gonna get going because there's something I need to do so... I'm just gonna... Bye Richard, bye Caroline."

Richard waved in response. "Bye."

Alone in the apartment with Richard, Caroline could feel the humiliation wash over her.

Here she was dressed for the perfect night out and now she was alone. So this is what they meant by karma in high school.

She'd just have her employer mail her the trophy. It wasn't like she was about to go to the banquet alone.

To her dismay, Richard rose from his chair and went to grab his jacket. Great now he was leaving too. There was no telling what he thought of her.

Suddenly the world came crashing down and her lower lip began to tremble.

Richard stopped in the doorway and groaned.

"You're not going to cry, are you?"

His words only served to unleash her pain.

"No..." She sobbed.

He sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. "All right, All right, I'll go to the banquet with you!"

Caroline's eyes lit up. "Y-You will?"

"Yes. But I'm not going to dance!"

Overcome with emotion, she threw her arms around him. "Oh, thank you Richard!"

She couldn't help but notice how tightly he was holding her. Usually sentimental gestures made him uncomfortable, but maybe he was just trying to be supportive.

After all she had broken down in tears right in front of him. They were just friends and as far as she was concerned that's all they'd ever be.

But she couldn't ignore the voice inside her head that told her otherwise.


	2. Chapter 2

The banquet was everything Caroline had dreamed it would be. She sat at the table, proudly displaying her trophy, which was Richard's too. But being the gentleman he was, he insisted that she keep it.

As the band played, Caroline stared in awe at the people on the dance floor. More than once she glanced over at Richard, hoping he would get the hint and she found it hard not to wish that she was dancing along with the crowd.

Finally he groaned and extended his hand. "Would you like to dance?"

Feigning surprise, she took his hand and smiled. "I'd love to!"

The catchy swing number made her feel free and soon she was having the time of her life, twirling and turning to the music. She didn't even mind the audience that they'd acquired and apparently neither did Richard.

She was suddenly aware of how nervous she was. And then she stared at him, realizing that until now she'd never really thought of him as handsome. But in his tuxedo there was no other way to describe him.

Without warning the song ended and was replaced with a slow, romantic ballad. Instead of turning away like she anticipated, Richard remained by her side. Smiling shyly, he offered her his hand once more. She put her arm around him and they began to move slowly to the music. Gradually she moved closer and closer to him until her head was resting on his chest. She closed her eyes and sighed. It felt so good to be held this way.

His cheek rested on her forehead and when she met his gaze, she found that she could resist him no longer.

Her mouth moved closer and closer to his until they were kissing without reserve. It was so wrong, feeling this way for him, but somehow it felt so right. And the fact that Richard made no attempt to draw back made her want him even more.

"Richard, I-."

"Caroline, thank God you're here!"

Startled out of her blissfulness, Caroline turned in stunned amazement to see Willard Stevens standing next to her.

"Willard... What are you doing here?"

"Caroline, I was wrong to treat you the way I did. We're not in high school anymore, not the same people at all. I'm sure you're a wonderful person. May I have this dance?"

Hesitantly Caroline looked at Richard.

"It's okay. He was your date anyway. I'm just the fill-in-guy."

"But Richard-."

"Have a good time, Caroline."

"Richard, wait..."

But Willard had already whisked Caroline into his arms, and away from the one man she truly wanted.


	3. Chapter 3

As she danced in Willard's arms, she couldn't help but think about Richard. Damn, why did Willard have to show up here of all places? She'd never forget the hurt expression on Richard's face when he walked out of the ballroom.

"So..." Willard was saying as he moved a bit too close to her. "It's been a long time... Too long if you ask Me."  
"Right... So how's life treating you?"  
"Well, what can I say? I'm trim, rich, single and not to mention handsome. In fact, we could be married now so aren't you sorry that you were so cruel to me in high school?"

Caroline stopped dancing and stared at him, appalled at the words coming out of his mouth.

_This _was the guy she was crying over just hours before?

"_Excuse_ me?"

"You haven't changed a bit, Caroline Duffy." Willard said, moving into kiss her. When his lips reached her cheek, it felt as though he'd slapped her.

"But you certainly have!"

"I know. I'm rich, handsome..."

"... And a complete jackass!" Caroline finished

"What?"

"Goodbye Willard."

"What are you talking about? I just got here."

"And now you can leave." She said, swallowing hard. "I came here to have fun, not to spend time with someone who has such a swelled ego!"

"You know what, Duffy? I came here to try to make amends but it seems that I was right all along. You are an ice princess! You don't care about anyone but yourself! No wonder you're stuck in that lame apartment drawing cartoons for a living! If you'd been nicer to me things would be different now! You'd be rich, successful and famous!"

"You know what, Willard? I don't care about being rich and famous and for your information I _am_ successful!"

"But you're certainly not rich."

She swallowed hard, more than anxious to get away from him.

"If being rich means that I'd end up like you, I'd rather be bankrupt!" She yelled, surprisingly not embarrassed by the stares they were receiving.

"Fine. Goodbye Caroline."

She swallowed hard, watching him walk out of the ballroom. The tears she'd been trying to hold back began to spill down her cheeks and she realized that she'd been humiliated for the second time that evening.


	4. Chapter 4

Outside she searched for any sign of Richard, dismayed when he was nowhere to be found. Knowing him, he probably took a bus home. Well, she might as well follow suit.

There was no sense in hanging around this hotel, even if the surroundings were beautiful. If she had no one to share it with, then it was completely pointless.

As she was about to hail a taxi, she saw him, standing alone by the bus stop.

"Richard?"

As soon as he noticed her, she ran toward him, smiling at his surprised expression.

"Caroline what are you doing out here? You're supposed to be on a date with that Willard person."

"_You're_ my date, Richard."

"Well, that's true but like I said, I'm just a fill-in."

Her eyes filled with tears once more and she took his hand. "Oh Richard, you're more than just a fill-in. You're everything."

"But what about Willard?"

She sighed and looked away. "Oh, well..."  
It was then that he noticed her tears and he gently turned her to face him. "You're crying. What happened?"

"Nothing, it's just-."

"Wait, he didn't hurt you did he?"  
"No, Richard. Well not exactly. Kind of, I guess."

Richard began looking around frantically for any sign of Willard.

"Damn it, I knew it! Where is he?"

Caroline shrugged. "I don't know Richard. He just left."  
"If he laid a hand on you, I'll kill him with my own hands, I swear it!"

Touched by Richard's concern, she squeezed his hand. "Richard, it's fine. _I'll_ be fine. I promise. Let's just... finish what we were doing before."

"Here?"

She looked around and smiled. "Why not? The stars are out, and we're all alone."

"But there's no music. How can we possibly finish dancing if there's no music to dance to?"

She smiled mischievously. "I wasn't talking about dancing."

He gave her a blank stare. "Okay, you've lost me."

Caroline took him in her arms and kissed him, massaging his silky blonde hair with her fingers.

When she drew back, she smiled at him. "Does that answer your question?"

He brushed a fallen tear from her cheek. "Um... Actually you might want to explain it to me again."

They shared another kiss, even more tender than the first. For it had only taken one dance to tell her heart who she truly loved.

**THE END**


End file.
